Download Impact Assessment Questionnaire for Enforcement Agent Industry

Impact Assessment Questionnaire
for Enforcement Agent Industry
A. Background information
Full name
Company/organisation name
Job title/position
Date
Phone number
Email address
Postal address
Address to which we should
send responses (if different)
Are you happy for us to contact you for further information?
Yes
No
B. Notes
To help inform the “Transforming Bailiff Action” Consultation we would be grateful if you could answer the
following questions as far as possible.
Please complete either an electronic or hard copy of the questionnaire. Responses may be emailed to
[email protected] or posted to ‘Enforcement Reform – Tribunals, Courts and
Enforcement Act, Ministry of Justice, 1st Floor post point 1.40, 102 Petty France, London SW1H 9AJ’.
Please continue on separate sheets if you require more space.
We do not intend to publish or share any data you provide, however, we may be asked to disclose
information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), so cannot guarantee confidentiality. For more
details please see the box below. If you would like your information to be kept confidential, please indicate
this here and outline the reasons – these will be considered should the information be requested.
Freedom of Information Act
Under the Freedom of Information Act we might be asked to release the data that you have provided to us
under a Freedom of Information request. Any individual has the right to request for all recorded information
which is held by a public authority under the Freedom of Information Act. The Freedom of Information Act
contains various exemptions and exclusions from the right of access to information that ensure a proper
balance is achieved between the right to know, the right to personal privacy, the delivery of effective
government, and other important public interests.
When a public authority considers whether the information should be released, it will consult with any third
parties who may have sent or supplied the information or have a close interest in it before releasing the
information.
Under the Freedom Of Information Act, there is a statutory Code of Practice with which public authorities
must comply and which deals, amongst other things, with obligations of confidence. If we receive a request
for disclosure of the information we will take full account of your explanation for confidentiality, but we
cannot give assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances.
Impact Assessment Questionnaire for Enforcement Agent Industry (02.12)
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If you want the information that you provide to be treated as confidential please set out clearly why you
regard the information you have provided as confidential.
C. About your business
Number of agents
How many enforcement agents
does your business directly employ?
How many agents work for you
on a contract basis?
Type of business
Sole trader
Enforcement firm
Landlord
Other
If ‘Other’, please specify
Areas of work
We are interested in the volume of work across different areas of debt recovery and about fees in different
areas.
Please provide details in the table below. Please use figures from the last financial year (2010/11) if
possible, otherwise indicate the year or time period. If you are unable to break figures down by debt type,
please give average figures in the ‘average’ row at the bottom.
Do you
work in
this area
of debt?
(Y/N)
Approx.
proportion
of cases as
a part of
your overall
workload
Average
value of
debt per
case,
currently
Proportion of
cases where
debt is fully
or partially
recovered
currently
Average value
(or proportion)
of debt
recovered per
case currently
Average fee
per case
currently
(in addition
to debt
recovered)
Average
expected fee per
case (across
those where fee
recovered) in
future
Commercial rent
Council Tax
Child Support
Agency
Court fines and
penalties
Non-domestic
rates
Road Traffic Act
penalties
Writs of Fi Fa
Other (please
specify)
Average
Total
What was your annual turnover (revenue) for the last financial year (in £)? Please provide a figure, or a
range, and clearly specify the time period to which the data relates.
What were your annual operating costs for the last financial year (in £)? Please provide a figure or range,
and clearly specify the time period to which the data relates.
Are you willing to share financial statements with us?
Impact Assessment Questionnaire for Enforcement Agent Industry (02.12)
Yes
No
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D. Views on the impact of the proposals
We are interested in understanding the impacts of each of the proposed changes in the law on your firm.
Clarifying the law
Do you think your firm would see any benefits from the proposed simplification of the law, such as from
streamlining processes? Please give details.
Do you think your firm would see any costs from the proposed simplification of the law, such as from
streamlining processes? Please give details.
Training and certification
What proportion of your enforcement agents (both directly employed and those you contract with)
are certified?
0–20%
20–40%
40–60%
60–80%
80–100%
What proportion of your enforcement agents (both directly employed and those you contract with)
have undergone training?
0–20%
20–40%
40–60%
60–80%
80–100%
What do you anticipate the cost of training to be per enforcement agent, assuming that training would
be required for certification? Please consider the cost relative to what you currently spend on training.
£0–£100
£100–£500
£500–£1,000
£1,000+
Assuming that the new certification process includes training, do you envisage that such a certification
process would reduce the volume of complaints seen? Please explain.
Assuming that the new certification process includes training, do you envisage that such will reduce the
cost of dealing with complaints? Please explain.
How much time do you currently spend processing complaints per week (approximate)?
0–5 hours/week
5–10 hrs/week
10+ hours/week
New fee structure
What is the expected impact on profitability of the new fee structure to your firm, assuming the same work is
carried out as currently, and considering the structure and fee levels proposed in the consultation document?
Large increase
Small increase
No change
Small decrease
Large decrease
Please explain how you reached this conclusion.
Impact Assessment Questionnaire for Enforcement Agent Industry (02.12)
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Overall impact of combined proposals
What do you think the overall impact of the proposed reforms would be on your firm in terms of the
efficiency and operations of your firm? Please explain.
What do you think the overall financial impact of the proposed reforms would be on your firm, in terms of
profitability? Please explain.
What do you think the overall financial impact of the proposed reforms would be on your firm, in terms of
quality of service? Please explain.
Impact Assessment Questionnaire for Enforcement Agent Industry (02.12)
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